


Nightmare in Wonderland

by Equinoxes



Category: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 10:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3324338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Equinoxes/pseuds/Equinoxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice has fallen asleep and it seems that she won't wake up again. </p><p>In reality, she is dreaming, dreaming about her travels in the enigmatic place called Wonderland. For five long years, little Alice is confined to her bed - never aging, never waking; until her dear sister decides to take matters into her own hands and journeys into the heart of Wonderland to find Alice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmare in Wonderland

There comes a time, where all children must grow up. Their bodies get longer, their limbs elongated. They no longer have the childish imaginations that they once had and instead, replaced with new, adult responsibilities. The adult’s minds do not think of sugar plum fairies dancing over their heads or swinging from branch to branch on apple trees.  

Everyone grows up whether they like it or not. It’s a sad occurrence seeing the childhood innocence fade away into the stress and sophisticated life of adulthood. Their lives are dominated by work hours and raising a family. There is no time for colouring in animals pink, purple, and green or a fun game of tag.

You cannot escape from age, but perhaps you can cheat it. Indeed, a young girl of no more than ten fell into a deep sleep under a tree one day and she never woke up. Her hair was long and blonde; her dress was a light blue with a white apron. Her shoes were polished and her socks were as white as snow.

This girl’s name was Alice Liddell.

She fell asleep on a bright, Sunday afternoon. No one knew what caused the girl’s slumber. Her sister and the cat was the only one accompanying her and were frightened once she knew that her little sister wouldn’t wake up. Alice wasn’t dead, but her heartbeat was faint. In the girl’s petite hands was a little bottle titled _Drink Me_ and beside her body was what seemed like rabbit prints.

There were still some of the contents inside, a golden liquid that smelled like freshly-sprung lilies. It was enchanting to look at. The golden liquid seemed to glow and looked appetizing. Perhaps this was the thing that caused Alice to fall into a deep slumber.

Alice’s body was moved to the hospital where it still lays. A heart monitor is placed near her white bed with beeps coming in a continuous stream. She had a slight smile on her pretty face, as if she was having a pleasant dream. Though, her skin felt cold like a corpse. Nothing could wake her up. The doctors tried everything from electricity to a simple shake. It seemed that the mysterious case of Alice’s sleep would never be solved.

Until the older sister decided to take matters into her own hands and wake up Alice herself. It’s been five years since the incident and she was no longer the fretful thirteen year old girl and turned into a determined eighteen year old woman who would do anything to get her dear sister back.

And so, late at night the sister took the _Drink Me_ bottle. The family cat was in her lap and purred softly as she rubbed the head. Even after five years, the golden liquid glowed, just begging to be consumed.

“I’m sorry mother. I’m sorry father.  But Alice needs to come home to us,” she whispered into the night. Rubbing the cat’s head once more, she drank the contents in one gulp. She tasted a euphony of tastes such as cherry tart, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast.  It was surprisingly pleasant.

Suddenly, her vision started getting darker and darker with each passing second. Her stomach dropped and she felt like someone was strangling her. _“I can’t breathe properly… What is happening? Am I dying? Was Alice dead all along?_

Then it got lighter and lighter and the next thing that she knew, she landed in a sunny garden with a nice fragrance. It was quite a pretty sight and the perfumed air made her kind of sleepy… This place, wherever it was would be a pleasant place to have a picnic.

“Excuse me young lady! But would you kindly stop stepping on my petals with that shoe of yours?” A woman’s voice popped up from below, breaking the girl from her drowsiness.

The girl looked down and to her surprise; one of the flowers was _talking_ to her. In what world did flowers talk? Certainly not her world. She supposed that a flower talking to her wasn’t the most bizarre thing that could happen but it was still… abnormal.

The flower was an iris, with a facsimile of a face in the purple petals. Daisies surrounded the iris and if one looked carefully, you could see faces etched in the centre. Their laughs were like bells chiming in the wind.  

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry miss. It won’t happen again.” The girl curtsied.

The flower crossed her leaves around her stem. “I’ll take your word for it. Now, run along now. I have to do some photosynthesising!”

“Of course miss, but would you mind answering me a question? I’ll leave immediately once I get my answer.”

“Alright then…” The flower shook her purple head. “What is it that you want?”

“Have you seen my sister Alice around here? She’s has blonde hair, blue eyes, with a light blue dress.”

“Oh, you mean the flower that could move about? I saw her quite some time ago, I don’t know when though. She went that-a-way, I think.” The flower pointed west where a clearing could be seen up ahead. “She came in much like you now that I think of it. She looked like you, lost and confused.” The flower shrugged. “Well, good luck on finding your sister. Enjoy your visit to Wonderland.”

* * *

Alice’s sister travelled far and wide in Wonderland meeting its most peculiar creatures and inhabitants. She has grown used to Wonderland’s quirks and oddities. It didn’t make any sense at all and somehow, she could understand it. There was method to Wonderland’s madness.

She’s met with the Red Queen and her court, the charming but clueless Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the querulous Lion and Unicorn. They all met with Alice and retold their escapades with her. All of them gave her clues to her sister’s whereabouts and yet, she still can’t find the place. 

The distraught sister went from place to place calling out “Alice? Alice? Please come home!” It seemed to be only a short while since she has been in Wonderland; there was plenty of time before her family would see that she too, descended into sleep.

The Red Queen told her to find her sister, she would have to capture the king and be promoted to queen. The entirety of Wonderland was laid out like a chessboard and the girl started out as a pawn. Now, she thinks she’s been promoted in a knight in shining armour. Or for all she knew, she could still be a pawn.

The only question was who is the king? He was the ruler of Wonderland that was what the girl knew for sure. The Red Queen didn’t divulge much more information than that even when she took the sister for quite a run. She didn’t even know whether the king was red or white. He might even be neither for all she knew.

However, there the Red Queen also told her to find the White Rabbit for he was a creature who “knew all the roads of Wonderland.” He is the Queen of Hearts’s (who, mind you, is _not_ the same as the Red Queen) page. The White Rabbit would meet up with the sister on the outskirts of Wonderland and show her where Alice was. That was the plan at least.

On the Red Queen’s command, the sister travelled the Outlands – a virtually uninhabited place on the outskirts of Wonderland to meet with the White Rabbit. There was nothing of interest there unless rolling tumbleweeds and desolate plains were your fancy. The overall feeling that she got from the Outlands was melancholy and a general feeling of trespassing.

She found the White Rabbit who contrasted the black background with his white fur and clean waistcoat. The girl was no longer bothered of such animals. Many of Wonderland’s inhabitants were more outlandish than a talking rabbit who served under the Royal Court of Hearts.

The White Rabbit pushed up his spectacles with his little paw. “About time you got here madam. I’ve been waiting forever for you. Time is passing fast; I must deliver you to your sister. Hurry now, I’m on a tight schedule!” And with that, he hopped away.

The girl lifted up her skirts and ran as fast as she can to catch up with the rabbit. She internally groaned when she had to run _again._ This was the second time this hour that she had to run, or was it this day? It seemed that the time she spent in Wonderland was a blur to her.

“Be wary of the madam for we are entering uncharted territory,” the rabbit called. “Your sister is here and not here. She’s in a separate world, a world within Wonderland. She controls all that happens here, Wonderland that is and I figured that she sensed your presence and led you to here.”

The girl was incredibly confused. “What? I don’t understand.”

The rabbit stopped and turned to face her. “No one told you yet? Well, I’m not surprised. The others are fools.” He shook his head. “Alright, I’ll make this quick. “Everything you see in Wonderland was all created by Alice. Every person, building, cobblestone, and grain of sand was created by your sister. We are all figments of her imagination, essentially. We are not real. Although some creatures were created before Alice’s coming, such as yours truly.”

“Well then who created you?”

“The King of course, he’s the main guy in charge around here. He is the absolute monarch of Wonderland and _all_ dreams.” The rabbit’s tone changed from pompous to a small whimper. “He’s a scary being… and unstable too. If you ever meet with him, be careful.”

The earth shook around them and lightning flashed in the sky and with it, came pouring rain. Just a second ago, everything was fine and clear.

The White Rabbit gave a little shriek of terror. “Ah! He knows! I must be leaving you now madam or terrible things will happen; but I’m afraid they already have. Run straight ahead until you smell the sea. There is where your sister lies. I must be going now; for one thing I’m late! Hop to it girl, and I wish you the best of luck.”

And with that, the White Rabbit bounced away leaving the poor girl to fend for herself. The rabbit answered her question, but it only lead to even more questions. She didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye or even a proper thank you before he left suddenly. However, he did tell her to run straight ahead and that is exactly what she did.

She ran as fast as the wind and time seemed to slow down. She smelled the sea in the distance, just like how the rabbit said she would. Her hair and clothes were soaked thoroughly with water.

Eventually, she reached a flat, grassy clearing dotted with flowers. The rain has since then passed and the girl felt dry again. It was surrounded by a body of water and it looked like the only way to get in and out was the stretch of land that the girl came from. The atmosphere was drastically different than the one in the plains. It had a peaceful, carefree aura about it as if nothing could ever go wrong here.

In the centre was a grand oak tree and under that was a group of people who seemed to be having a picnic. She could hear their laughter but cannot identify any of their faces. There were no natural barriers so there was no point in hiding. For the most part, Wonderland’s inhabitants have been pleasant. The girl hoped that the same thing would go for them.

As she moved closer, she could hear snippets of their conversation.

The girl’s eyes widened. She recognized a voice it was Alice’s! She was here after all! There was no mistaking the sweet and lovely voice of her sister.

Not having a care in the world and ignoring any possible consequences, the girl ran up to her dear sister and hugged her.

“Oh Alice! How I’ve missed you so! Come; let’s go home to mama and papa! They’ll be happy to see you again.” She brought Alice to her feet.

“Lorina? Is that you? Why are there two of you? Why do you look so old? And what are you talking about, mama and papa are right here.” Alice looked no older than ten, the same age when she fell asleep. Except for the golden crown on her fair head, she looked exactly the same: same clothes, same shoes, same appearance, same Alice.

And true enough; the other people around Alice were people that she knew: mama, papa, and her dear siblings that didn’t make sense since they were back in their own world, weren’t they? Then again, this is Wonderland where _nothing_ makes sense.

However, she, Lorina, was also among the group. She was sitting right next to Alice with a grin on her face. It was unsettling sight. _That_ Lorina was not her. She was right here and _that_ Lorina was the imposter.

One by one, her family members faded with sad smiles and waved goodbye. The other Lorina stood up and slowly walked towards the sisters. Instead of blue eyes, they were white. No iris and no pupil.

The girl tugged on Alice’s arm eager to get out of this strange dream and go home. She watched with increasing fear and distress as her other self approached. “C’mon Alice, we must go.”

“But…” Alice’s voice was faint and she didn’t move. “What? I don’t understand…”

Gritting her teeth, she picked up Alice and carried her on her back and ran away. Alice’s golden crown fell off and as soon as it hit the ground, it turned into a pool of liquid gold.

The girl didn’t notice this strange occurrence. She ran a great deal today and at this point she didn’t care. She had tunnel vision and at the end, was home.

_You can’t escape._

The voice had no source and yet it came from everywhere. It sounded like the speaker was speaking to them through water; it had a warbled feel to it. The voice sounded male and very, very, angry.

_Give me back my queen._

“Lorina, I’m scared. I want mama and papa!” The girl felt Alice’s grip tighten on shoulders. She was feeling the same thing that Alice was feeling. She wanted to go home too. With that in mind, she ran faster.

Wonderland was crumbling. The ground fell apart piece by piece and left a dark abyss behind. The sky was like fractured blue glass. And still, the girl ran. She saw the people that she met on her journey watching her run. And like the apparitions of her family in the green field, they faded as if they never existed. And as they faded, so did Alice and her sister’s memories of them as well.

Indeed, they no longer remembered the fantastical creatures that they met. The things they saw and experienced. Once they wake, if they wake, Wonderland will be what exactly it will be – a dream.

They reached the forest where they arrived in. Instead of the relative calmness that it was, the trees were grey and some were already ashes. At the end of the forest there was a rabbit hole and next to it was a sign that read “For Madame Lorina and Madamoiselle Alice.”

_You can’t escape._

The voice was getting increasingly louder with each passing second. The girl had the nerve to look back and she saw a dark creature with shining white eyes extending a hand out to them.

_You can’t escape._

“Alice, jump in! Hurry. I will follow soon after you.” She lifted Alice from her shoulders and dropped her in.

Black tendrils were forming around her feet and grabbed them, dragging her towards the black creature.

Shrieking, the girl kicked one of the tendrils and it hissed in response. She sprinted towards the rabbit hole and jumped in, not knowing where it might lead her to.

* * *

It seemed like she was falling for forever. She saw many things from dolls, photographs, toys, and other memorabilia. They all looked old and broken and dejected. She saw other things too like chipped tea cups and ripped clothing.

“Just how did they end up here?” the girl wondered. “Is there where all lost toys go?”

She never got her answer.

Everything suddenly turned upwards, and then she was rising above. There was a bright light up head and the girl stretched her arm out to meet it.

* * *

_January 1 st, 1872_

_St. Mary’s Hospital, London, England_

Patient Alice Liddell and Patient Lorina Liddell unexpectedly woke up from their mysterious illness, ten years for Alice and five for Lorina. The sisters seemed to not have aged while they were under the coma.

They seem to be healthy and have no serious side effects. Their wakening was a gentle one, as if they came out from a pleasant dream.

When asked about their experience, the only answer was a place called “Wonderland.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This can be considered a (sort-of) crossover of Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass." I took some liberties with the plot and changed it a bit to suit my needs, but it isn't anything important. 
> 
> Now that I think about it, this doesn't make much sense. Then again, the originals did not make any sense either. 
> 
> I wrote this for a friend who was feeling down. I know he loves my stories so I thought I would write this one to cheer him up... These stories were my favorites as a child and cheered me up and I'm hoping that it does the same to you too, both my readers and my friend.


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